We were lucky to catch up with Gianna Swick recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gianna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

As a wedding planner, we see many different trends throughout the industry and the main objective is to filter out which ones are best for our clients. With so many social media platforms, visuals, comparisons, and options it can get overwhelming for a couple looking to plan their dream wedding. In the 80s, it was an elaborate veil with a hat and puffy shoulders on the dress, in the 90s it was square necklines, followed by vibrant flowers and knee-length bridesmaid dresses in the early 2000s and we can’t forget about the donut walls and balloons that were seen constantly about five years ago. Recently, there have been many fun and exciting trends and the biggest keywords to describe them are: creative and unique! During consultations with potential clients, they almost always mention how they want personal elements included throughout their day. Therefore, we like to work with vendors who can take current trends and personalize them a bit more.
For example, dessert tables have become a wedding statement piece! To make it more personal, the couple can choose their favorite flavors and each have a “side” to the table selections and design. They can add a monogram, a nod to their pet, their first dessert they shared, or seasonal offerings like mini hot cocoa cups. Another common trend is using favorite songs, movie quotes, or messages the couple says to each other on signage throughout the day (think welcome sign, signature drinks, seating chart). Floral-wise, accessories like disco balls, candles, and fruit have been intermixed to create dimension and fun touches throughout the venues. And we can’t forget about the champagne! Champagne towers are a fun way to capture great photos of the couple together and also welcome your guests, so why not make it a statement piece? We have worked with florists and venues to place florals, candles, pedestals, and disco balls all around the drinks to enhance the look and experience.

The most recent trend we have noticed is connecting round guest tables to create a continuous flow throughout the floorplan and we love this idea! While these trends are some of our favorites, we are excited to see and create even more creative and unique ideas for our couples!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Gianna began her wedding planning career in Cleveland, Ohio, and quickly learned the industry’s customs and best practices while working as an Executive Coordinator for a luxury wedding planning company. Upon completing a rigorous training course, Gianna began coordinating events and quickly learned that this was an industry she loved to be a part of.

While working on building up a full-time business, Gianna had various professional experiences, specifically in business, management, and human resources, in various industries for Fortune 500 companies. Gianna holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from John Carroll University and a Masters of Business Administration specializing in Human Resources from Canisius College. This experience has prepared Gianna to hire, train, and create a successful business for not only her team but the clients they serve. Weddings by Gianna was formally founded in 2019 and 100+ weddings have been successfully planned and celebrated.

Gianna is most proud of her passion and commitment to working her hardest to provide a monumental, enjoyable, and fun day for one of the most important days of her clients’ lives. We strive to make strong relationships with vendors, have a reliable and trustworthy team and, and give it our strongest efforts for every event.

Aside from event planning, Gianna absolutely loves traveling with her husband, son, and friends, snuggling her two rescue dogs, spending time with family, and reading!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Professional development, reviews, vendor relationships, and social media.

These 4 items have helped build my reputation immensely! I think completion a wedding planning course from a top planner in Cleveland, OH, and then getting asked to be a part of the team helped build immense knowledge and credibility. The more weddings I did on my own and the more I gained experience, I saw the importance of reviews and hearing what clients have to say and how potential new clients value this positive feedback. Building relationships with vendors in the industry and showcasing how working together is beneficial and fun, and how great it is when you can refer clients to each other to support other’s businesses. Weddings are so visual! Social media is a great way to showcase what you helped create, and plan, the venues you worked at, vendors you work with! Providing credit and substance in your caption helps educate and allows viewers to easily learn more about you!

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

While many of our clients will only come to us once, we are still so committed to keeping in touch and creating brand loyalty. We work with couples for months sometimes even years for such an important day. You are sometimes with them through moving, new jobs, family dilemmas, etc. and it can often be sad to part ways after all the planning is completed! Social media has been a great way for us to stay connected and see what our couples are up to post-wedding life such as their honeymoon, growing their family, and buying their first home together. And the best brand loyalty we can get is word-of-mouth referrals. There is no greater feeling than having a former client send a new couple our way! This year, we will be working with a family to help plan their third (and last) daughter’s wedding and we helped plan the prior two. Instances like this truly mean so much to our business and continue to drive the excitement in what we do!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.weddingsbygianna.com
• Instagram: @weddingsbygianna.com
• Facebook: weddingsbygianna

Image Credits

Brittany Ford Photography
We are the Bowsers
Megan Ann Photography